Yurok
The Yurok are a Native American tribe primarily located in northwestern California, particularly along the lower Klamath River and coastal regions. Historically, they lived in permanent villages characterized by distinctive split-plank redwood houses and developed a rich culture centered around marine resources. The foundation of Yurok society revolves around the "house" as the key sociopolitical unit, with communal ownership of vital resources like fishing spots and hunting grounds. Their craftsmanship in woodworking and basket weaving is notable, alongside their advanced fishing technologies.
The Yurok experienced significant challenges following European contact, particularly during the Gold Rush era, which drastically reduced their population and led to the loss of much traditional territory and cultural practices. In recent decades, there has been a revival of Yurok traditions, including dance and language preservation efforts. Today, the Yurok community is actively engaged in maintaining their cultural heritage, with initiatives aimed at revitalizing the Yurok language and traditional practices. The tribe continues to navigate the balance between modern economic activities, such as fishing and logging, and the preservation of their unique cultural identity.
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Yurok
Category: Tribe
Culture area: California
Language group: Algonquian
Primary location: Northeastern California
Population size: 794 (Yurok Reservation, CA; 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate)
The sedentary Yurok were a marine-oriented people living in permanent villages of split-plank redwood houses in coastal northwestern Oregon and on the lower forty-five miles of the Klamath River in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. Close socioeconomic ties were maintained between villages. The major sociopolitical and descent group was the “house,” which was neither matrilineal nor patrilineal. Villages owned communal property with exploitation rights to major fishing sites, clamming beaches, berry patches, felled redwood trees, acorn groves, deer-hunting areas, and beached whales. The Yurok excelled at woodworking and basketweaving and had a complex fishing technology. Their society was stratified, with nobles, commoners, and slaves, the latter being established by incurred debt. Traditional forms of wealth and heirlooms were paired obsidian blades, albino deerskins, and dentalium necklaces. Social control was maintained by threats of sorcery, destruction of an accused person’s property, liability for injuries, and consensus of opinion.
The Yurok were probably sighted by Spanish galleons in 1565. The first known contact with people of European descent was in 1828 by fur traders from the Hudson’s Bay Company. Sustained European American contact and incursion commenced in 1850 with gold miners and land developers, usually with considerable violence and killing, which, along with disease, resulted in the deaths of 75 percent of the Yurok people by the end of the rush. Despite numerous attempts by several Whites to protect Yurok sovereignty, much of their territory was confiscated. By 1939, many of the traditional dances and ceremonies had stopped, particularly the traditional Jumping, Boat, Kick, and Deerskin dances, and the First Salmon Rite. In World War II, during the Battle of the Bulge, a Yurok man taught the Brush Dance to his non-Indian unit as a form of exercise. The Indian Shaker Church was introduced in 1927 and continues to be their most popular religion.
Revivals of the Brush Dance started in 1972, as well as a revitalization of certain traditional skills such as woodworking and Native American weaving. By the 1960s, some young males reinstated the traditional regime of training by using the sweathouse, swimming, and running. Competitive sports, particularly playing shinny or field hockey, are conducted between certain villages. Wage earning primarily involves fishing and logging.
The Yurok language also went into decline as non-Yurok people settled in Yurok territory during the nineteenth century and imposed Western education on Yurok students. According to the Yurok Tribe’s website, the language was nearly extinct by the early 1900s, but during the twentieth century the tribal government started a language program to revitalize the language. By the mid-2000s, there were 11 documented fluent Yurok speakers, 37 advanced speakers, 60 intermediate speakers and approximately 311 basic speakers. The Yurok people refer to themselves as Oohl in the Yurok language.
According to the 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 794 people reported that they were members of the Yurok Tribe, and 37 reported that they were members of the Resighini Rancheria, both groups within the Yurok tribal grouping. These population totals include individuals who reported multiple tribe or tribal grouping affiliations, and those who reported being American Indian and Alaska Native alone or with any combination of other races. The Resighini Rancheria is located within the larger Yurok Reservation, which is situated along the Klamath River in northwestern California.
Bibliography
Buckley, Thomas C. Standing Ground: Yurok Indian Spirituality, 1850–1990. U of California P, 2002. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 7 Sept. 2016.
Clayburn, Rosie. “Culture.” Yurok Tribe. Yurok Tribe Klamath Office, 2015. Web. 7 Sept. 2016.
Lowery, Linda. Native Peoples of California. N.p.: Lerner, 2017. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 7 Sept. 2016.
United States Census Bureau. 2010 Census CPH-T-6. American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2010. www.census.gov/history/pdf/c2010br-10.pdf. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.
United States Census Bureau, Geography Division. 2010 Census—Tribal Tract Reference Map: Yurok Reservation. 2021, www.census.gov/geographies/reference-maps/2010/geo/2010-census-tribal-tract.html. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.